I have been a bad, bad author. I let life kick the inspiration out of me like a roid rage mule, but I’m back, and have been for a while. Sadly writing is like archery. You fire, but it takes a bit for the missile to land. In that vein, I have three big announcements.

The first is I completed a novel! Well, I did not do it alone. Thanks to the inspiration and drive of my good friend Tracy R. Chowdhury, we completed the first novel in a trilogy: Elvish Jewel. It is a romantic adventure novel set in a brand new fantasy world.

It is about a war torn elvish nation being raided for natural resources by the vicious armies of the Iron Coast. A powerful Evish Warmage, Vivien Valdera finds herself defended by and in turn defending a indomidable barbarian she names The Wolf. They begin a troubled path toward love and understanding where her secrets are almost as shocking as his. But together they might just save the kingdom, and may discover the love that has eluded them both for a century.Available on Amazon. Ebook coming soon.

Those of you who have been following REALLY close attention have noticed I Know Not (The Legends of Fox Crow 1) hasgotten a new cover (new editing pass) and a new publisher! Also available on amazon, with ebook coming soon!

And while I am extremely excited about both of these events, I am astounded to say that The Opus Discordia (The Legends of Fox Crow 2) is done, finished, finito, passed and published, available on amazon! I know a lot of people have been waiting for many years for this, and I hope it is a dark delight to everyone. Ebook, coming soon!

Music sooths the savage breast…

What do they know?

I was reborn in a castle of corpses, and I knew nothing. I survived the assassins, the mercenaries, and all the nasty little tricks they could throw at me. Now, I have to move on.

Noria is a whole kingdom looking to kill me, so I have to flee to the Principalities of Hammarfall.

I have sacks of gold, a magic sword, and all the skills a lifetime as an assassin. I should be able to carve out a little niche of heaven and live happy and fat until my old age, right?

Right?

Except Hammarfall is in turmoil, the God of Murder still has not forgiven me for leaving his service, and there are ravens everywhere I look. And that music. I can’t get that music out of my head… But one thing hasn’t changed.

I just moderated a comment from a new fan and I realized I have not posted to this blog in forever. I’m getting questions about what I am up to and what is coming. I can only say I am very sorry. I guess it is time for some confessions and an update.

Last year I lost my day job. Since then it has been a financial struggle to keep my home and so forth. Trying to find another job is difficult since my experience knocks me out of opening positions, and equal positions are often jealously guarded. It has, however, allowed me to work on more novels than I thought possible.

I am working on a contract for Heroes’ Tears. The novel is a Fantasy, set in a war torn historical era of this RPG. It should be out next year.

I finished the sequel to I Know Not, the Legacy of Fox Crow. This one, The Opus Discordia, deals with Crow after leaving (running) from his recent successes and gets saddled with an apprentice, gets involved in a three hundred year old plot to overthrow a kingdom, and is haunted by a ghostly composer as well as a new crop of assassins. It is in the hands of the Publisher, who has it out for editing, and is awaiting the cover still.

That being said, I have not been resting on my laurels (such as they are). I am working on a sequel to Whispering of Dragons called The Clash of Souls. It is in progress, and I hope to have the manuscript in the hands of the publisher soon

Next I finished a new fantasy novel, a whole new story in a new fantasy series. This one is a departure from my standard fantasy work, and I hope to have it ready by April 1st. I say departure and I mean it: It is epic fantasy instead of dark fantasy, it is going to be self published (mostly due to my desperate need for cash, pretty fast), and it has… other qualities that set it apart. More will be announced soon, but for more updates keep an eye on THIS PAGE.

So I’m working pretty hard, and a lot of stuff is falling by the wayside. This blog amongst them. I want to do another Radiation Angels Novel. I want to finish another Fox Crow. There’s a lot to do, and now it is all very important.

See, every purchase used to be an important acknowledgement of my work. Now it is my life blood. I eat, my lights stay on, depending on my wife going to work, and the work I put out to give everyone a few minutes respite and entertainment. You are all keeping me alive, and for that I want to say thank you. I am truly humbled.
Now, if I can ask, please leave a review on goodreads or amazon. Please blog about what of my books you have read, recommend them to friends. I feel like I am imposing on friends and family, but I have to ask. I’m just starting to climb and air getting thin out here already.

The undeniable force of parties and vengeful retribution, KT Pinto, asked me to be a part of this meme, and I have to say I am honored.

1. What is the title of your latest book/WIP?

The Last Dragoon from Dark Quest Books
Since the first fantasy novel I had written, I Know Not, did so well, the publisher asked me for another. It is not a sequel, but is set in the same world.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Honestly, after writing about a complete scoundrel in I Know Not, I wanted something softer, something honorable, even something that felt a bit like a fairy tale.3. What genre does your book fall under?

It’s firmly in fantasy, but since there are lots of creepy crawlies I suppose dark fantasy, or even Gothic fantasy would be better.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Wow,

Matthias Reinhart: Viggo Mortensen would do an excellent tortured soul.

Sergeant Bilford: Oh we would have to rip Jerry Doyle from his radio microphone and get him back into acting for this one.

Cassildra: For the young novice of the God of Death, Wow that’s hard. Hailee Steinfeld would be good in the role, but Cassildra is described quite specifically as a very heavy girl. Finding someone willing to buck Hollywood standards of beauty (or getting them to leave it in the movie version in the first place) would be beyond belief.

Ansarin: For the deranged necromancer artist, I think Benedict Cumberbatch from BBCs new Sherlock adaptation.

5. What is the book blurb for your book?

The Ivy City is dying. It flails under a sea of the risen dead, the holy churches broken, the nobles largely destroyed, the population leaderless and alone, the city itself is bleeding and growing cold. Tattered crimson ribbons of blood fill the gutters. A despicable wizard, scion of the noble line, has shoved the Ivy City to the brink of death as he seeks what he sees as his rightful throne.

Doomed by his forbidden love, discarded by the crown, forgotten by the people, a disgraced hero rises from the ashes to combat the rising darkness. Accompanied by a novice of the god of death, this armored savior will crash headlong into the ranks of the undead. As the legions of the unliving surround and entrap him, he faces the dark truths of his own failures, and discovers the limits of his warrior will.

He will fight because of his oaths to the crown and because of his oaths to the city. But, in the end, he will fight against a horde of nightmares because he has sworn with the totality of his soul to the crown princess, whom he has vowed to love forever.

The only questions that remains are:

What is the raw power of the human soul?

And can it be enough against an army of the dead?

6. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Once you take out the lost few weeks for editing other projects, and writing a novella on a bet, I believe it was only a hair over 4 months.7. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Wow, it’s a mix of Sleeping Beauty, The tale of Lancelot, and any given hopeless opera you care to name. I used to joke that it was the anti-twilight, but I’m not sure I can keep watch over my shoulder for that many angry soccer moms and substitute teachers.8. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

It is full of things I want my children, my friends – and myself most of all- to know, to remember. It has at its heart that we are often too hard on ourselves. More often the hero we are looking for is inside of each of us.9. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Lord knows I’m action oriented, but I really was able to ramp up the battle scenes in a way I’ve never been able to before. Once my hero was no longer mortal, or even possible, I had fun pushing the limits of impossible without ripping apart the world around him.And now I choose these five authors to also do this Meme: